giving away literature (when it's even published!) is not the best way to make $$$.
The Watchtower----A Book Publishing Company???
by minimus 31 Replies latest jw friends
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OnTheWayOut
The members are still called publishers and the company did make it's fortune in
literature. Still, they are publishing less and less. They have a best-seller every
year, though. They "sell" millions of every new release to the members.I suppose a huge publishing company cannot really sum up what they are or
what comes to mind. I say they are still about the printing, but they used their
assets to become a huge investment corporation. Now, they are using their
investments to pay off lawsuits and overhead.They may yet get out of the publishing business and switch to being a compound-type
religion or just a doctrine-producing headquarters that farms out the printing, telling the
members who sells their books and calendars and getting a cut from the new publishers
and fleecing the flocks. (See, I have thought about this) -
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AK - Jeff
giving away literature (when it's even published!) is not the best way to make $$$.
Before the 'donation arrangement' came about - what did Jw's do? They ponied up a fee for each piece of lit, then sold it at a slight markup, or break-even to the householder. After the 'donation arrangement' came about - what did Jw's do? They pony up a fee [perhaps more or less] for each piece of lit, then give it, or get a donation for it from the householder. The Watchtower still gets the commission up front - and what's more - the publishers send them the sales revenues that they get [if any] to boot. Plus this is not a worldwide policy - only in a few places where the tax liablility was going to bite them in the ass otherwise. Granted - many don't pay for the lit nowadays - but many also do. Apparently enough do that they are still producing a landslide of literature every week. And a big pile of revenue is sent to them each week for said literature, isn't it? It can hardly be considered charitable in it's distribution of lit. They never changed the policy to 'free literature arrangement'. Jeff
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minimus
But you do not have to pay for the new releases and most, I believe, do not pay the donation or even ask for a donation for the literature.
it's like having a newspaper business suddenly declare they'll only accept contributions but will not require anyone to have to pay for a newspaper. When circulation drops at the NYT, it's big news because no $= no business. Corporations can't run in the red or on a donation basis----unless the publishing company is not a main source of income.
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stillajwexelder
magazines - the WT and Awake
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minimus
I think less of the ragazines and more of CULT!
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daniel-p
Eventually, I believe they will outsource their book publishing to private companies. It hasn't made a whole lot of sense for them to keep doing it for as long as they have, except for the fact that--as R. Franz has said--it's a source of pride and they can say to the rest of us, "look, Jehovah blesses us with big printers."
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AK - Jeff
But you do not have to pay for the new releases and most, I believe, do not pay the donation or even ask for a donation for the literature.
True. I don't know the figures. Revenue may be down. If what you say is true - that many are just taking the lit without paying - then your point is salient.
It would be nice to be a fly on the wall of the accounting office and know for sure. My guess is that revenues are not bad - but perhaps less than they would like. I suspect that soon we will see only one issue of each magazine. Perhaps a combine of the public WT and the public Awake into one mag.
In answer to what comes to mind? CULT! is always the first word to mind for me.
Jeff
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minimus
You see my point. It's not about now making money from literature that is basically "free". but I think they have covered themselves with real estate properties, wills, etc.
The Organization is run by lawyers and they ain't stupid!